Friday 29th of March 2024

Dr Larry is a hypocrite...

oaf

 

The CSIRO agency, which employs more than 5000 people, has been the target of funding cuts in recent years from the conservative-led government.  Marshall took up the role as CSIRO’s new boss in January 2015 and has said he wants the agency to focus more on innovation.
When the latest round of cuts was announced in April 2014, the CSIRO’s staff association said one-in-ten jobs had gone since 2013.
To try and recoup costs, CSIRO’s marine research vessel the RV Investigator has been hired out to oil companies BP and Chevron.
Both firms are prospecting for oil and gas in the “frontier” waters of the Great Australian Bight.
http://www.desmogblog.com/2016/02/11/scientists-60-countries-condemn-cuts-vital-climate-research-australia-s-csiro-agency
Adding insult to injury, Dr Larry Marshall is of course lying when he said the CSIRO would concentrate on "solutions to global warming". As we can see here it is doing exactly the opposite for cash. May Larry choke on one of his patents.

 

contradiction of purpose...

A prized $120 million CSIRO ship built to study marine science has been hired out to international energy giants Chevron and BP to help them search for oil and gas in the Great Australian Bight.

Under the deal the ship Investigator is to spend two months working for the multinational corporations in the Southern Ocean, filling a period where it would have otherwise sat idle because of a lack of government funding.

The arrangement drew opposition from critics worried that the ship meant to vault Australia into the global marine science big league was being used for commercial, rather than institutional, research.

It also lands Investigator amid a controversy over the exploitation of the Bight's waters, where a marine reserve straddles the leases.



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/csiro-marine-research-ship-hired-to-oil-and-gas-companies-bp-and-chevron-20150925-gjuuiy.html#ixzz41kS7aaKJ 
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you cannot do one without the other...

A notable centenary happens [very soon]. On March 16, 1916, a young Australian nation took its first tentative steps into funded scientific research when prime minister Billy Hughes set up the Advisory Council of Science and Industry.

It was a modest affair. The council set up committees of experts who, while able to employ paid assistants, were expected to do their work without any pay. Unsurprisingly, this didn’t work.

Various governments experimented with different structures before finally settling on the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, now known by its acronym, often pronounced as “siro”.

CSIRO is fundamental to our national identity and underlies much of our prosperity. Employing over 4500 people throughout Australia, its research interests include agronomy, forestry, mining and manufacturing, health and nutrition, digital technology, space physics and natural ecosystems.

It also studies Earth’s structure and dynamics: the big systems that determine climate and provide energy to power our lives. The business division most concerned with these matters is run from CSIRO’s complex on the Hobart waterfront.

CSIRO’s diversity of research interests gives huge scope for brainstorming key questions. No other national science agency, anywhere, can match that in-house diversity – one reason why CSIRO attracts so much talent from around the world. It’s truly a national treasure.

CSIRO was early out of the blocks in putting resources into climate research, led for a decade by renowned atmospheric scientist Graeme Pearman. Its modelling and analysis – the best then and now for the Southern Hemisphere – gave it a global reputation.

That’s why the global scientific community was so shocked by this month’s announcement that climate research was to be cut in favour of making money from technology. The size of that shock can be measured in a single document.

Just five days after the announcement, a remarkable letter was sent from the US to prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, the CSIRO board and others spelling out the damaging consequences of downsizing this “vibrant and world-leading research program”.

The letter was signed by 2676 climate scientists, including 922 from the US, 391 from the UK, 200 from Germany and 159 from France. Equally remarkable is the spread of nations represented – 57 of them, including many developing countries.

The letter said continuing CSIRO’s multi-decadal study of Southern Hemisphere climate was critical to the success of global mitigation while also helping Australia address unresolved questions like food production, extreme events, tropical disease and Southern Ocean dynamics.

CSIRO chief executive Larry Marshall has said the time for analysing climate change has passed and its task now is to work out what to do to mitigate. Different problem, different skills.

But the two can’t be separated. To work out what to do we have to know how climate is changing globally, regionally and locally, and that includes translating global data to give us a stronger, more precise picture of our own situation. The need continues indefinitely. Same problem, same skills.

Of course scientists like to look out for their own, and of course there’s an element of self-interest here. People want to keep their jobs. But this is a matter of national importance. CSIRO’s decision calls into play scientific and policy questions that demand attention at the highest political levels.

As a backbencher in 2010 Malcolm Turnbull spoke out against his party’s prevailing sentiment that climate change was a non-event. When he became prime minister, many expected the government’s climate policies to be strengthened. That expectation is quickly vanishing.

Much of his party remains in denial about the gravity of the climate crisis, including backbench MP Dennis Jensen, who tweeted that climate science has been overfunded for decades.

For his part science minister Christopher Pyne has taken the lazy way out, saying the CSIRO decision was an internal matter. In fact it’s anything but internal, as the scientists’ letter shows.

If it stands, Australia’s scientific reputation and the integrity of both CSIRO and Turnbull himself will be irreparably damaged. Time is fast running out for the PM to stand up and be counted.

read more: http://southwind.com.au/2016/02/23/the-csiro-spat-that-australia-cant-afford-to-ignore/

profits come from science for those who wait...

 

Australia's national science organisation planned to stop "doing science for science sake" and would no longer do "public good" work unless it was linked to jobs and economic growth, according to internal emails between CSIRO senior managers.

The emails contradict claims that the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation has remained committed to research that does not bring in revenue, and illustrate the scale of the restructure planned under new chief executive Larry Marshall.

Under Dr Marshall, CSIRO has shifted its focus to making money to pay for its work. The vision sees the iconic Australian science organisation as an "innovation catalyst".


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/no-science-for-science-sake-emails-show-csiro-plans-to-cut-climate-research-20160403-gnxezq.html#ixzz44pf52V4l
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Science for science sake always ends up creating valuable and "profitable" knowledge. If this is not good enough, Larry Marshall should be sacked and replaced by a real scientist.

 

larry marshall should be sent packing...

 

Hon Christopher Pyne MP
Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science 429 Magill Road
St Morris, SA, 5068

Dear Minister,

On the 4th of February 2016, CSIRO CEO Larry Marshall announced 350 job cuts. Based on subsequent information provided by CSIRO, the total jobs now earmarked to go is actually 450: 100 in Land and Water, 100 in Oceans and Atmosphere, 70 in Data61, 40 in Agriculture, 40 in Manufacturing, 40 in Mineral Resources, 20 in Food and Nutrition and 40 in Research Support.

Since the 5th of February 2016, the CSIRO Staff Association has been in formal dispute with CSIRO on the basis of a lack of consultation and no evidence that staff or stakeholders have had a genuine opportunity to influence the proposal.

Dr Marshall has made inaccurate and inflammatory public comments about scientific research and has failed to engage staff and stakeholders in a professional manner. He has damaged CSIRO’s reputation by proposing cuts to public good research in favour of work designed to generate short-term commercial gain.

The proposal has attracted widespread condemnation, nationally and internationally, even more than the outrage over the loss of 1300 jobs over the last two years. Massive petitions have been submitted to Government, public rallies have been held and a Senate committee has exposed gross failures in consultation and decision making.

Staff have lost confidence in the Executive management and governance of CSIRO and morale and trust is at rock bottom.

The CSIRO Staff Association has never formally requested that a Government or Minister intervene to stop a proposal of CSIRO’s CEO or Executive, but we hereby do so.

We urge you to direct CSIRO to suspend this proposal until after a Federal Election is held this year. Let the Australian public consider if cuts to CSIRO jobs and the culling of public good research, including on climate change, are in their interest.

Further, we request you immediately instigate a fully independent inquiry into CSIRO’s corporate management function, structure and processes. It’s been nearly 30 years since a review has been undertaken and this layer of management has lost touch with our staff and with the functions of CSIRO as listed in the Science and Industry Research Act.

Yours sincerely

Sam Popovski Secretary 

 

via:

http://cpsu-csiro.org.au/2016/04/06/csiro-staff-call-for-the-fixer-as-planned-job-cuts-rise-to-450/#more-4091

 

As the CSIRO staff call for The Fixer (self-called Pyne) to "fix" the situation which is more than dreadful, one can only hope that Pyne is not asleep, on holidays, thinking of stupid satirical ways to kill Labor nor thinking of stuffing something else. 

That's the problem with Pyne, so far his rodden ducational plodicies when he was minster for ducation, have not been gnerally implemented, thank god i am an atheist. More cathlic than the pope, Pyne is a treasure trove of idiotic statements and destructiv ideas — including getting Craig Thomson to apologise to crooked Kathy Jackson in Parliament for having said she was crooked... But Pyne is bout having fun, rasping a whinning voice to grind people into the ground as his eyebrows are as if pulled up backwards with ducktape. 

 

Let's hope that with the Science portfolio in his hands, he will be more serious about what this means for the future of humanity. But so far, I have not had any indication that he understands his position beyond the fart smell bombs created in the labs, at first year of high school.

 

the "fixer"...

the "fixer"...

fraudulent larry fiddle...

In other words, we are left with much the same tally of job cuts that chief executive Larry Marshall's told Senate estimates two months ago. Hardly the "win" for climate science touted by CSIRO and the Turnbull government.

And merely ring-fencing a segment of the researchers won't stop talent haemorrhaging to other, more supportive employers.

Private emails by executives released to the Senate inquiry led by Greens and Labor revealed senior managers had been encouraged by their bosses to eviscerate climate or other "public good" science within CSIRO.  

It's worth recalling that the idea of a new climate centre was spawned in the days after Dr Marshall's announcement on February 4 that while "CSIRO pioneered climate research", the agency couldn't "rest on our laurels as that is the path to mediocrity".

"Our climate models are among the best in the world and our measurements honed those models to prove global climate change," the ex-venture capitalist said. 

Instead, CSIRO would shift resources instead to finding ways to mitigate global warming by reducing carbon emissions and adapting to the inevitable impacts coming our way. 

That promise, though, always rang hollow since many of those already researching climate adaptation were for the chop as part of cuts totalling 350, such as 100 to go in the Land and Water division. (Those overall cuts have been trimmed as of Tuesday to 275 and 70, respectively, an internal email showed.)

Chief Scientist Alan Finkel and other leading scientists immediately launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to rescue the furniture so that vital continuity and critical numbers of staff remained. 

Dr Finkel understood it would be difficult to anticipate the changes for which Australia would need to prepare  if key capability to monitor and model the shifts in our oceans and atmosphere was shed. Soaring global temperature and the Paris climate accord all suggest more -  not less  - science was needed.

That the centre remains within CSIRO also marks something of a failure. Dr Finkel's effort was directed firstly to placing the centre within the Bureau of Meteorology - which relies on CSIRO models for its weather and medium-term climate forecasting.

The bureau, though, is fighting what appears to be a losing battle to hold on to vital water research funds - we will know for sure in the May 3 budget - and could only take on staff if CSIRO transferred the funds with them.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/csiros-new-climate-centre-wont-resolve-future-of-research-in-australia-20160425-goeujf.html#ixzz46ukowMhv
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given the benefit of the doubt...

Together, the Climate Council community has shown time and time again that standing up together as a strong voice for science can produce real wins.

And today, you can add another victory to your belt.

In February, we reacted in outrage after CSIRO announced they would gut their climate science division. You helped us keep the pressure on by sharing our report and video far and wide.

Today, in response to widespread community outrage to the cuts, the government announced it would open a Climate Science Centre.

This is welcome news and it would not have occurred without your support – so thank you.

The research hub will be housed at the CSIRO’s existing Hobart facility and will be guided by a national climate science advisory committee, which will report to Science Minister Christopher Pyne.

The CSIRO also announced that announced that 75 positions would be cut from the oceans and atmosphere business unit rather than the 110 originally announced.

The new centre will have 40 dedicated CSIRO scientists. While this is a positive step, it’s not enough – we’ll still have less climate science capacity than before the cuts were announced.

While there are still some unanswered questions about how the new hub will function, what is certain is that climate science is in better shape than it was yesterday.

The Great Barrier Reef is suffering the worst coral bleaching event in history and last month was the hottest March on record globally, the eleventh consecutive month to break its monthly temperature record.

We need more research, not less, if Australia is going to be able to prepare for and adapt to these challenges.

We’ll keep fighting for Australia to keep its promise in Paris to increase support for climate research.

P.S. We’ll never stop fighting for more climate research, because we know that our response to climate change should be based on the best science available. Please consider chipping in what you can so that we can keep the pressure on.

http://www.climatecouncil.org.au/youve-made-a-difference-to-csiro

and the final solution is...

 

Shut CSIRO and adopt Liberals' new innovation program


Shut CSIRO and adopt Liberals' new innovation program Instead of reducing staff at the CSIRO our Minister for Science would be better firing them all. ("Reduced climate science positions "looks like a con" April 27)

The Americans and Europeans would take those who didn't want to work as taxi drivers or nursing home staff. Saudi Arabia could supply us with consultants to show us the way forward to end our dependence on fossil fuels (by Saudi Arabia weaning itself off oil) and the Chinese could supply us with the solar panels and all the other technologies we need. Concerns about climate and soil erosion could be dealt with through a call centre in Manila. The rest of our research needs would be met through the new "Innovation" program of the Liberals, which I gather from the ads seems to be adapting foreign technology for use in Australian schools. The land the CSIRO currently owns could be sold off to developers. We would then have enough money to keep the housing market buoyant by maintaining negative gearing and still give tax cuts to those Aussie battlers earning over $150,000 pa.

David Neilson Invergowrie


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-letters/letters-whats-the-subtext-of-our-submarine-spend-20160427-gofvt2.html#ixzz473i6OPMf
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what's wrong with phuken' malcolm?

The future of a key Antarctic climate change research project appears to have been thrown into further doubt, according to emails obtained by the ABC.

Key points:
  • The emails warn CSIRO cuts would leave IceLab with a funding shortfall
  • Experts say any cut would be a loss to Australia's scientific capabilities
  • CSIRO says it will maintain "a core ice lab capability

 

On top of that, dozens of CSIRO scientists around the country have today been told they may be made redundant as part of the organisation's 275 planned job cuts.

CSIRO funding cuts threaten the future of the Melbourne-based ICELAB, which provides important national research infrastructure to measure gases trapped inside ice cores.

It allows scientists to measure what was in the atmosphere hundreds of thousands of years ago, and so work out how the climate has changed.

In emails obtained by the ABC, Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) director Nick Gales warned CSIRO that his organisation would not be able to make up any funding shortfall.

"The situation remains that CSIRO's ICELAB capability is regarded as a key national research investment in this space, but that AAD does not have access to funds to offset CSIRO's decisions to de-invest in this work," the May 9 email to senior CSIRO staff said.

"It has not been particularly helpful that the media appear to have an expectation that AAD might be in a position to co-fund this work."

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-12/leaked-email-cast-further-doubt-future-csiro-antarctic-research/7409432

 

Malcolm ! You're a phuken' idiot to let this happen on your watch ! You're a phuken' twat !...

politikal climate in kambra is awful...

Australia’s chief scientist, Alan Finkel, has said investment in the electricity sector has stalled because of “policy instability and uncertainty” – and he’s warned that current federal climate policy settings will not allow Australia to meet its emissions reduction targets under the Paris agreement.

In a 58-page report that has been circulated before Friday’s Council of Australian Governments meeting between the prime minister and the premiers, Finkel has also given implicit endorsement to an emissions intensity trading scheme for the electricity industry to help manage the transition to lower-emissions energy sources.

While there is no concrete recommendation to that effect, the report, obtained by Guardian Australia, references the evidence from energy regulators that such a scheme would integrate best “with the electricity market’s pricing and risk management framework” and “had the lowest economic costs and the lowest impact on electricity prices”.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/08/finkel-review-critic...